Gray Flowers ② – Mist-laden Tombstones.
That Forest.
That’s what it’s called.
I hear many things about the forest.
But there’s little I actually know.
Many Seekers have entered it.
Not a single one has ever returned.
Among them were even Tier II Seekers.
They say you hear the sound of a flute upon entering.
That’s it. That’s all I know.
Because I wasn’t interested.
Who would go into a forest you can never return from?
I definitely wouldn’t. So I didn’t have the slightest bit of interest.
“Maybe I should have been a little more interested…”
At least in where it was. A forest full of Mist-laden Tombstones.
I can’t tell front from back, left from right, anything.
My Relic [Danger Detection] is useless.
If I try to use it, everything just goes dark like before.
Is [Vanish] the only thing I can use?
Never return.
There must be something here.
As I stay vigilant, I hear it again.
“———~♪~~♪~♪♪~♪~~~♪”
The strange sound of a flute echoes all around.
Then, the ground near a grave began to stir.
I instinctively ready myself with [Vanish].
What crawled out of the grave, as if digging itself up, was a Skeleton.
And not just one or two.
“…Hk!”
An uncountable number of Skeletons.
Each one was armed with rusted swords, axes, or spears.
Moreover, some Skeletons wore leather or metal armor.
All of it was dirty and faded, but it was still armor.
Every Skeleton had a red, ghostly fire dwelling in its eye sockets.
Peculiar.
I’ve seen Undead Skeletons before.
About thirteen of them, but the ghostly fire in their eye sockets was blue.
Is there some kind of difference?
More importantly, what do I do?
As I stood there, troubled and unsure of what to do while remaining cautious, they began to move.
Six nearby Skeletons approached me.
They advanced with the grating sound of their interlocking bones.
Once in range, one swung a longsword with a chipped tip.
“Hk!”
Fast. I instinctively blocked it with my knife; thankfully, it lacked weight.
If it had any real weight, my knife would have been knocked away. It was that kind of swing.
Skeletons are just bone. A sword swung only by bone is light.
I parried the blow and struck its abdomen with [Vanish].
Normal weapons cannot nullify the Relic [Undead] possessed by the Undead.
Only light attribute or enchanted weapons are effective.
Or weapons coated with healing items like Potions.
However, there are exceptions.
As the Skeleton’s abdomen was erased by [Vanish], its other parts dissipated into mist.
It vanished without regenerating.
I erased the other Skeletons as well.
Within the misty forest, the flute’s sound continues.
I let out a sigh behind a tree.
“Dealing with this many… is exhausting.”
I managed to escape somehow, but it’s only a matter of time before they find me.
For a moment, the Fourth Relic crossed my mind.
If I used that, if only I used that… but I don’t want to.
I used it against the Chimera because I didn’t have time.
I had no choice but to use it in that situation. But it’s not like that now.
Not yet.
Not yet.
Not yet!
But I really don’t want to die.
I’ll use it if things get really, really dangerous.
But only when my life is truly in danger and I’m in a desperate situation.
I hate the Fourth Relic.
That’s not a Relic I should possess.
No. That’s not a Relic humans should wield, that they are allowed to wield.
“………”
Besides, I don’t know what the enemy truly is.
Perhaps whatever is playing that flute is the true nature… of That Forest.
What should I do?
What should I do?
In my hand is just an ordinary knife.
The only thing I can fight back with is [Vanish].
[Danger Detection] is useless.
What’s left is [Wheel of Fortune].
Also… oh no. The Skeletons are approaching, slowly but surely.
Something, anything. I frantically search inside my pouch.
My fingers touched it.
My eyes widened.
“Ah… right.”
I had this.
With this, even my knife will definitely work on the Skeletons.
Better yet…
It might be even more powerful than any light attribute enchantment or OOPArts.
And while I don’t know if this will break the deadlock…
an idea I want to try came to mind.
Anyway, whether it offers hope or not…
Guess I’ll give it a shot.